1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of information handling systems, and more particularly, to a system and method for providing a visual representation of the physical location of input-output ports on an information handling system.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Portable information handling systems typically comprise a plurality of input-output (I/O) ports for communicating with external devices. Examples of such ports include, but are not limited to the following: system power, audio, video, serial, parallel, universal serial bus (USB) ports, RJ45 ethernet, and IEEE 1394 Firewire. Furthermore, many portable information handling systems comprise more than one port in the various categories listed above. In portable information handling systems, the aforementioned I/O ports are usually located on one of the peripheral surfaces of the system housing. Even a user who has become familiar with the same portable information handling system over an extended period of time may have difficulty locating a desired physical port. Furthermore, even if the user knows the physical location of a particular port, he may not know whether the port is enabled or whether a particular device is currently using the port. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide users with a visual map of physical location and the status of the various ports on a portable information handling system.